This R13 application proposes to support a 2-day annual meeting to enhance the collaborative network, and maximize the long-term national impact of the National Consortium for Multicultural Education for Health Professionals (Consortium). Funded in 2004 by the NHLBI as a 5-year competitive training award program (K07) for U.S. medical schools, the Consortium uses the approach of addressing disparities by integrating cross-cultural education into health professional training. We propose to build on our success by implementing a meeting focused on an under-addressed topic in cultural competency education in medical education: Bias and stereotyping. To reduce costs, increase participation, and maximize collaboration, the meeting will be scheduled to coincide with the (DiversityRX) to be held Fall 2012 in Northern California. This meeting will provide an opportunity for experts in cultural competency and health literacy curriculum development to network with the National Association of State Offices of Minority Health, and bias and stereotyping researchers, and further build upon the exchange of ideas which began recently among research and practice professionals in cultural competency and health literacy. Specific aims include: 1) create a network of experts in cultural competency and health literacy curriculum development and research, 2) identify common competencies, approaches and assessment methods that can be applied to education and research in cultural competency for multiple health professions; and 3) advance research and publication potential of the combined fields of cultural competency and health literacy. The meeting comprises a: (1) networking event (n=30), 2) moderated roundtable (n=30-100) on strategies that may prevent bias and stereotyping in clinical practice or ameliorate its effects on health outcomes, (3) Skills-Building Workshop on preparing submissions to MedEdPortal with the Association of American Medical Colleges (n=20), and 4) working session (n=30) to develop a bias and stereotyping module for a draft Cultural Competency and Health Literacy Primer incorporating evidence-based strategies to assess and change provider behavior, and identify related research questions. National Conference on Quality Health Care for Culturally Diverse Populations PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Increasing recognition of well-documented disparities in health status, access and service delivery have fueled calls to better prepare future health professionals to address these challenges. There is a paucity of research that links successful outcomes of health professions education to patient-centered outcomes. These meetings will help identify strategies in assessing and linking patient-centered outcomes to education.